<p>ok, I know arts degrees aren't worthless, I wanted an eye-catching title.
but seriously, I'm a freshman at NYU who's undeclared, but I will most likely major in Economics, or Pol Sci, or both. Or International Relations with an Econ minor. I've met a lot of people who are pre med and engineering or are going into technical careers who are always harping on about how artsy kids who study liberal arts/humanities will have difficulty finding jobs, and that they should get 'real majors' instead of Art History or medieval studies or what have you. I know it's just silly but it makes me nervous since I do plan to have a job someday...I don't want a worthless arts degree. :(</p>
<p>You're contradicting yourself: "I know art degrees aren't worthless" with "I don't want a worthless art degree."</p>
<p>I'm sure humanities majors from Yale are not having problems finding jobs. Your major is not your career. Why should it be different at NYU?</p>
<p>Ok, I know they aren't worthless, but the stereotype about them is that they're worthless. If I actually thought they were worthless I wouldn't be getting one, would I?</p>
<p>I know my major isn't my career, but what kind of career you end up in has a lot to do with your major. I'm just kind of nervous is all...I'm at that stage where I'm still sort of "undecided" and I have parental pressure to not major in something artsy.</p>
<p>Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't political science open the field of politics?</p>
<p>it would be nice to think that it does, but I feel like a B.A in pol sci does very little unless you're doing law...I've been doing some basic research, talking to my advisor, searching online, looking at sites where they compare salaries, and career opportunities...a B.A in a social science is not really lucrative. Some say it's not much better than B.A in English Lit or any other artsy thing. </p>
<p>most people in politics started out in law. I would be more interested in studying public policy. If I continue at NYU, I will most likely do an International Relations major with a minor in Econ, and if I go to Cornell (I'm trying to transfer for various reasons I won't bother getting into) I will do Govt with a double minor in Econ and IR, or a double major in Govt and Econ with a minor in IR. </p>
<p>In the end, no matter what, I'll have a B.A in a humanities/soc science field. I hate how a B.A in pol sci is looked down upon, the same thing with a B.A in sociology (not interested in it, but I feel bad for sociology majors).</p>
<p>So are you saying that if you want to look at politics as a career, it would be better to study Law instead? </p>
<p>If I'm headed towards JFK School of Government for grad school, wouldn't a Political Science degree be needed? At least, that's what I was assuming. Would a law degree be better?</p>
<p>PS: I'm going to McGill 2009, and their cutoff avg for Arts is 86.3%. That's a 4.0 GPA using McGill's grading system. (85-100 = 4.0) The Arts degree requires some of the highest marks, so I've always presumed it was good. :/</p>
<p>It depends on your definition of politics. Running for public office? Some congressional members do have law degrees, some don't. It's never a requirement unless you are running for state's attorney, U.S. attorney general or something directly both law and politics. </p>
<p>You don't need a political science degree to go to graduate school in political science/public policy such as Harvard JFK, but you will definitely need a strong foundation/understanding in government. I'm sure there are many International Relations, History, Sociology, etc. major who may have minored or took electives in political science/government. Same goes for law school, many law students major in math, history, philosophy, sociology, etc.</p>
<p>umm any undergrad degree right out of school don't make much anyway. and even if they do (engineering, business, etc.), their salary kind of just stays the same, unless they go to grad school and advance.</p>
<p>"umm any undergrad degree right out of school don't make much anyway. and even if they do (engineering, business, etc.), their salary kind of just stays the same, unless they go to grad school and advance."</p>
<p>That's absolutely false.</p>
<p>yep it's false that any undergrad degree out of school doesn't make much, unless you're talking about one of the humanities, especially the more 'artsy' ones, e.g art history, africana studies, medieval lit...</p>
<p>yep it completely depends on what you perceive as politics. if you're talking about running for office, a lot of politicians start out as lawyers. personally, I'm not interested in running for office</p>
<p>Dude - no offense, but by saying that the arts degree requires some of the highest marks, that makes it sound like an arts degree is easier to get, which is why they'll only take students who got high grades...</p>
<p>but the type of school you go to matters as well - someone who graduates with a B.A in pol sci/govt at the avg state school doesn't have the advantage of someone who goes to JFK school of govt for grad. And no, you don't need a degree in pol sci to go to JFK. If I get my masters, it won't be in pol sci/govt though, probably in public policy/management.</p>
<p>I believe the average lifetime earning potential for a master's degree is roughly 20% greater than a bachelor's. The highest percent of increase comes with doctoral and professional degrees.</p>
<p>I will say that communications/woman's studies/art are truly worthless majors, and the people who major in them are a dime a dozen.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I know my major isn't my career, but what kind of career you end up in has a lot to do with your major.</p>
<p>I feel like a B.A in pol sci does very little unless you're doing law
[/quote]
These 2 snippets from your posts illustrate where you've gone wrong. Neither is correct.</p>
<p>Colleges offer 2 types of degrees under one roof. That makes it confusing because they used to be offered at different schools; you went to one type of institution for job training, another for the classic college education. Some degrees are vocational in nature -- accounting, engineering, nursing, etc. People with these degrees are prepared for jobs in their field without grad school, although some switch and do something completely different. On the other hand, there are liberal-arts degrees. </p>
<p>Without the distinction one ends up with mixed metaphors. Asking "what do I do with a major in linguistics" is applying a vocational-education measure to a liberal-arts pursuit, and is akin to asking "how many inches in a cup of water?" None of the liberal-arts majors lead directly to a career path (except perhaps as a professor in that subject) nor are they intended to. The reason to pick a liberal-arts major is because of a strong interest in the subject. It may also be applicable to some career fields. But that is not the main goal; if you want a degree that prepares you for a job, pick a vocational major.</p>
<p>History, poli-sci, archeology, you name it. People with these majors can get good jobs too, but it takes more than just the degree. Good grades and involvement in leadership activities is important, but the key that is needed for these majors are internships. They set you apart from the 1000's of other kids with the same degree, give you experience in the field, and usually lead to offers from the companies where you had internships. Other companies are impressed by the internships and take a much closer look at you.</p>
<p>So people with liberal-arts degrees are not doomed to flipping burgers. Most people in management positions came up from these majors. One issue when answering questions like the OP asked is that most HS students (and unfortunately many college students) are just not yet informed about all the jobs that are out there. They can name only a dozen or two jobs, so they have no idea of how people enter career fields they don't even know exist. This narrowing of focus means kids talk about the same few jobs as if that's all there is -- lawyer, teacher, accountant, doctor, investment banker, etc. In fact, almost any career field is open to the liberal-arts grad outside of the ones that require specific training (engineering, nursing, etc), and for almost all of these you could go to grad school or take post-college classes (eg. becoming an RN) if you really wanted.</p>
<p>The OP needs to take the broad approach; say to yourself "I'm going to graduate with a college degree, and this is a base requirement for many employers. But in addition to that, what steps do I need to take to identify a potential career and make myself an attractive hire to prospective employers in that field?" I would suggest the OP read 2 books. The first is "Major in Success" and explains with many stories how college students can discover their interests and prepare for jobs pursuing those interests while in college. The second book (more general, but along the same lines) is the bible of the job-hunter, "What Color is Your Parachute". This book also helps you discover what your interests are and how to determine where out in the working world you can do it. I also suggest using the resources of your career center. First explore what you like to do, then identify career areas where you can do it. At that point you continue your preparation & exploration by joining clubs, getting internships, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks MikeMac, that was a really lengthy post with lots of helpful tidbits...and yes I'm planning on doing some internships and getting work experience soon. </p>
<p>I think I want to major in Govt with a double minor in Econ and IR, and then get my masters in Public Policy Administration. I think I would love to do that. Does that sound plausible?</p>
<p>Yay...I won't freak out about my major for another 3 months or so now. See, every couple of months I flip out and go off on the whole "What do I want to do with my life?! ahhh" tirade and then I take some time to reevaluate and think what do I want, not my parents/friends...and this is what I want, right now.</p>
<p>knowing me though, it will probably change a little over the next couple of years...:)</p>
<p>There are a lot of commercial career options in the visual arts...</p>
<p>Govt with a double minor in Econ/IR is not exactly visual arts. It's social science. Thanks though.</p>
<p>Yea... figured that. Just mentioning not the entire art spectrum yields the same results.</p>
<p>yep, that's definitely true. the visual arts can lead to some commercial jobs.</p>
<p>I wonder what people with degrees in stuff like art history do? become museum curators?</p>
<p>that's assuming they just get a B.A and enter the workforce, not do any grad school.</p>
<p>btw, Dude - did you get accepted to Kennedy yet? If you don't mind sharing, what program are you doing - I'm assuming you're getting your masters. God, I think I would be way too happy if I got in there for a masters in public policy. I don't think I should hope that high.</p>